The U.S. U6 unemployment rate, a broad gauge of labor underutilization, rose to 7.9% in October 2026, up from 7.6% in September 2026. The latest reading, updated on 06 November 2026, points to a modest weakening in the broader labor market.
The U6 measure goes beyond the headline unemployment rate by capturing not only those who are officially unemployed, but also workers marginally attached to the labor force and those employed part time for economic reasons. The 0.3 percentage point increase from September to October suggests that more Americans are either struggling to secure full-time work or are on the margins of the job market.
While no additional context on the drivers of the change was provided, the uptick in the U6 rate may attract attention from policymakers and investors who monitor this indicator as an early signal of shifting labor-market conditions and potential pressure on household income and consumer demand.
